Taiwan People's Party Leader Hits Back at Corruption Allegations
The leader of the Taiwan People's Party, Ko Wen-je, is brushing off allegations of fraud in a scandal that’s engulfing his party.
Transcript
00:00Well, the pressure is piling on Kerr.
00:02He's facing mounting allegations and investigations
00:05into his presidential run, where he took on Taiwan's
00:08two main political parties and upset the two-party system
00:12here in Taiwan.
00:13The message from him today is basically, bring it on.
00:16I've got nothing to hide.
00:19But of course, the pressure is mounting
00:21over that $500,000 US of political funds
00:24that weren't properly declared.
00:26And the controversy has already taken in people
00:29connected to his campaign.
00:30There's been people called in for questioning.
00:33Officers have been raided.
00:34And his political number two, a woman named Vivian Huang,
00:37she has stepped down from her leadership
00:39position of the party.
00:41As you can imagine, reporters have been following Kerr today.
00:44They asked him what he thinks about the investigations
00:47and if it can be considered a political witch hunt.
00:59So what next for Kerr and his political party?
01:06Well, of course, the first thing we're
01:08going to be looking out for is whether he is indeed
01:10called in for questioning, and then
01:12whether he's listed as a defendant in any case that's
01:15brought.
01:16Meanwhile, support for his political party, the TPP,
01:20is slumping.
01:21That party, they hold the balance of power
01:24in Taiwan's legislature.
01:26They've been working together with the main opposition party
01:28the KMT to pass controversial reforms that are going
01:31after the executive branch.
01:34Kerr himself, he's a bit of a rising star.
01:36People have been looking at him as a serious contender
01:39for the 2028 presidential elections.
01:42All of that political ambition, of course,
01:43now at risk as the net continues to tighten around him.
01:48Justin Wu and Rick Lowatt in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.